I am a huge fan of the intensity involved in white-knuckle street racing. And admittedly, few games embrace the vim and vigor of hotly competitive racing better than SHIFT 2: Unleashed. The follow-up to Need for Speed: SHIFT, which introduced us to a fantastic in-cockpit view and the singular fear and anticipation that accompanies the sport, strives to reach new heights of invigorated enthusiasm and style. Unfortunately, the completely unreliable and erratic nature of the driving, the overly aggressive (and borderline cheating) AI, and what feels like a more arcade-y experience than before, makes it unsatisfying in my eyes. It’s one of those games that has a lot going for it, and it understandably resonates with other critics and gamers, but I just can’t handle the instability.

Undoubtedly, the intricate detailing and effects are impressive, especially if you take the time to examine damage sustained by your car. They do a great job of designing each vehicle and crashes are more spectacular than ever; Slightly Mad also increases the amount and quality of special effects typically associated with racing. Everything from tire marks to fender benders to the thrill of racing at night is all captured nicely, and what you see from either inside the car or the new first-person helmet camera is beautifully designed. Only when you start to expand your scope do you begin to see some drawbacks; for instance, there are several tracks in the game that we saw in Gran Turismo 5 and…well, there’s no comparison. Still, SHIFT 2 looks good.

The sound features in-your-face effects and some fantastic radio work, which always puts you right in the midst of the ceaseless action. I’m not the biggest fan of the soundtrack but due to the intensity of the racing itself, all music tends to take a permanent back seat, anyway. I think the engine noise is exaggerated in some of the cars and I’m still not buying the audio that accompanies certain collisions, but the expended effort is obvious. Combining the meticulous detailing of the up-close graphics and the nerve-rattling special effects creates what should be a fulfilling race experience. There’s no denying that, despite a few small shortcomings, the technical presentation is top-notch, and that may be enough for certain players. It generates a jarring, violent atmosphere, and it works well…until you start to drive. I just don't get it.

Let’s start with the positive, and my favorite new feature: the helmet cam. It’s just another level of involvement and immersion and actually let me enjoy the game, regardless of all my dislikes and reservations. It’s such a unique view, primarily because it’s very close to a real driver’s view; the camera will actually shift in the direction of turn apexes. So when you’re hurtling down the racetrack, not only do you get the aforementioned realistic radio in your ear, you also get to see something similar to what a real-life racer sees. That right there is worthy of attention, and I don’t want to take anything away from the implementation of that feature. Provided they keep it for the third game, I’ll definitely be willing to try it.

And as made clear in the technical breakdown, cars reflect damage in a way that’s both authentic and downright frightening, so you’re always on the edge of your seat: you’re simultaneously trying to avoid a crash and secretly dying to see one. Furthermore, given the ramped-up aggression of every competitor and the fact that intensity is priority #1, you will always be tense. You will always be gripping the controller (or wheel) tightly. You will always come into a turn with several other racers, knowing you’re a hair’s-breadth from finding yourself in the sand, facing the wrong direction. Toss in the Autolog feature – everyone seemed to like it in Hot Pursuit and it works equally well here – and you’ve got an engaging, addictive racer.

…or so you might think. Look, I’m all for aggression but there are two gigantic issues I just couldn’t get past, regardless of my settings or event type. Firstly, the control- it’s just that much looser and worse, entirely unreliable and erratic. Virtually all the cars seem to over-steer, and you can never really predict how your vehicle is going to perform. It’s a bizarre situation, because the game is begging for more solidarity; we need that solidarity to appropriately cope with the insane level of aggression. This brings me to the second problem, which is the madcap racing of the opposition. They’ll often just shove you off the track; whether they do this on purpose or they just don’t acknowledge your presence, I don’t know.

But I do know that the instability of the racing, unpredictability of the cars, and over-the-top aggressiveness of the other racers is seriously vexing. It’s not that the AI is stupid; in fact, they show glimpses of borderline brilliance at times. But they can easily knock you off course – and that often means the end of the race – and get away without a scratch. In other words, there’s no consequence for them treating you like an obstacle that needs to be swept aside, and you know, you can’t behave that way. If you try it, you’ll just ruin your chances at crossing the finish line first. But I could almost withstand this if it wasn’t for the totally erratic control that never allowed me to gain a firm grasp of the gameplay. Maybe it’s because I spent too much time playing GT5. Maybe I’m letting that experience unfairly impact my analysis of this game.

I have considered that. But I’ve played all sorts of racers. I know SHIFT 2 is a blend of simulation and arcade physics. But here’s the thing- I had no trouble with the first SHIFT, I have no trouble with great simulators, and I have no trouble with great arcade-like racers (Burnout, for instance). And for some reason, this just doesn’t click; the control is just off. The very first race is on Suzuka, which is a course I know like the back of my own hand; I’ve raced it dozens of times (both the short and long versions) with probably over a hundred different cars between all the GTs, and I’ve even seen races on that track. The bottom line is that no lap in SHIFT 2 felt or looked anything like I’d played or seen before.

It’s just too aggressive to be taken seriously; they took the violence to a height that actually detracts from the experience. The AI is smart, but quite capable of pissing you off on a routine basis, and the control for each vehicle is all over the place. It’s just too loose and too unstable. I liked the experience earned, which played to my role-playing sensibilities and really let me dive into some nuts and bolts (pun intended), and unlocking new events and new cars is always a blast. There aren’t anywhere near enough cars, to be sure, but the flash, panache, atmosphere and depth associated with customization and the Autolog saves the game from feeling bare. It goes without saying that the multiplayer can be stupid intense, especially if you run across highly competitive racers who just hate to lose.

Still, SHIFT 2: Unleashed needed to be reigned in. Get the leash out again, because these cars mustn’t throw temper tantrums at bizarre times, and our foes should be penalized for going all GTA on our butts. The technical presentation puts a smile on your face, the crashes are bad-ass, and the varying events are a huge bonus. And I can’t say enough about that helmet cam. But beyond that…this is one disc that very nearly ended up embedded in the wall. Lots of great stuff but this raucous attempt at racing needs some settling and organization.

The Good: Great technical detail and lots of flash. Good racing sound effects. Helmet cam is awesome. AI isn’t stupid at all. Multiplayer can be nuts.

The Bad: Background/course graphics aren’t as impressive. Control is erratic; vehicle performance is entirely unpredictable. AI’s aggression is annoying and goes un-penalized. Nowhere near enough cars.

Comments (91 posts)

The handling in Shift 2 is just horrendous. Luckily there are community mods for the pc version. My R34 actually feels somewhat like an R34 after i applied the mod. I feel bad for those who bought it for consoles seeing as EA will probably never bother with patching it.

Remember, this is the game that is far ahead of Forza 3 and on par with GT5. <rolls eyes>

DAMN LOL. thats crazy never thought the score for this would be so low. i thought it would get a 7.5 the lowest.

played the 1st one..... honestly i enjoyed Prostreet more then SHIFT. thats the last NFS i bought & if the series keeps going with the HOT PURSUIT or SHIFT route i wont be buying none untill i get something similiar to Most wanted or underground with sum sim type physics.

Yeah, but Prostreet was their first chance at trying to lean towards a more sim-type game and it was just really, really bad. I'm not sure if I'll ever give NFS series another chance at trying to be more sim, but if it has gameplay like the Underground series I would definitely be interested.

Underground 2 had the most customization for cars ever in a video game. I even think its a world record. There was so much customization in that game. Odd things you could customize that I can remember at this time was putting speakers in your car, smoke purges, hydraulics, and colored head-beams. Perhaps it doesn't need a lot of those things to return, but it was nice having a game that you could personalize so much to your cars.

yuh the driving physics for prostreet wasnt good. i cant lie though i actually enjoyed the presentation of the game i like how they allowed u to use the clutch with the controller.

if they just spent 2 years to make something similiar to underground or most wanted with gameplay not like pro street or hot pursuit but jus some type of physics where i dont feel like im playing burnout i know NFS would sell like crazy.

I had not looked into this game at all due to my dislike of the first. I just had a wild guess that this one would suck. Too bad I was right, I may not be in desperate need of good games right now, but it's always nice to have something waiting on the shelf. Guess I'll be looking elsewhere though, not surprised.

Not to take anything away from you Ben, as always, a thorough and fulfilling review, but for some reason, I just think that Arnold should do all the reviews for racing games. He just seems to have a much greater passion for it. I know he's busy with other ventures, but it'd be good.

Anyway, I keep meaning to pick up an NFS game, they just seem to be on the right track. Although when you've got a game that scores this lowly in the control mechanics, then it might as well be deemed completely shattered. Maybe the next one, whatever it happens to be.

On a semi-related note, did anyone else hear that apparently the OFLC has rated a new game called Burnout Crash. After Paradise, I'm very interested.
Peace.

EA should be happy Ben reviewed this and not me. I got the game and I would've trashed it to bits. This is the absolute worst "sim" I've ever played. The Logitech compatibility is horrendous, the clutch is absolutely useless (and also works poorly), the physics are shit, the cars are poorly detailed, the physics (acceleration, braking, etc.) are also canned and pre-determined, the car stats are wrong (370Z has 306HP? lawlz idiots. Who the fuck gets paid all this money and doesn't know how to use Google?)...there's more, but I'll just leave it there.

Okay, no I won't: the soundtrack is awful, the game looks worse than the first (somehow), there are erratic framerate skips where the game, literally, skips 5-10 frames (very dangerous in the middle of a timed overtake, turn, brake, etc.), the cars sound nothing like what they should (having driven, owned, and have access to a large chunk of the roster I can verify the sounds are bullshit)...

So yeah, Ben was totally right. I'd have been a lot more harsh on the game. It's terrible.

Seeing as how the PS3 version has garnered the lowest scores of all the versions thus far from what I've seen, this score doesn't surprise me much. I have the PC version, but I'm too busy with Shogun 2 to even touch it right now, so I can't give my thoughts on it. I really did enjoy the first one though.

I was waiting for this.. and I am not suprised in the least with this score. It's a great review, and one that I am positive that Arnold would agree with.

Anyways, I will admit, that I was caught up with the hype surrounding this game. The videos and feature lists were impressive. Throw in the fact that I was pleased with Shift 1, and got the Platinum trophy, I went into Shift 2 with great expectations.

Needless to say, several of my lofty expectations were met one after the other. The damage modeling was impressive. The customization was in depth, and exceeded GT5 in several categories. The track list is full of some of my favorite locations that were not available in GT5.

Then came the driving. To put it simple, it's a mess. No matter the settings in the gameplay options (such as deadzone and sensitivity) the game felt worse then Shift 1. If Shift 2 featured the same physics model as the first one, I would have been more then thrilled, and put this game firmly into #2 position of favorite race games.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and I am stuck with a 60 dollar purchase that I regret. Shift 2 to me, is nothing more then a game that trumped GT5 in several categories, but left behind the most important facet in games such as this.

The driving. It's why I play titles like this, and I am sure that anyone who reads this does too.

I feel your pain MaxPontiac I too wasted 60 bucks aaahhhh!!! How come they release a game like this the physics are shit on top of that there like a 200 ms input latency. Definitely unplayable! Hopefully we will see a patch for this mess-_-.Last edited by jlch777 on 4/3/2011 6:54:01 AM

Sure sounds sloppy with the poor controls and AI having their own rules. I already don't care much for car games due to the high level of repetitiveness, so when I read a review like this from a guy who admittedly loves cars, well, let's just say even the bargain bin won't lure me into buying this thing.

Man this review is dead one. This game is more competitive than GT5 and you can feel the speed, but GT5 definitely feels better and the cars/tracks are authentic. I still feel that GRID is the best of both worlds. Much is made about the graphics in this game...WHY?...looks like another other multiplatform game.

EA should be happy Ben reviewed this and not me. I got the game and I would've trashed it to bits. This is the absolute worst "sim" I've ever played. The Logitech compatibility is horrendous, the clutch is absolutely useless (and also works poorly), the physics are shit, the cars are poorly detailed, the physics (acceleration, braking, etc.) are also canned and pre-determined, the car stats are wrong (370Z has 306HP? lawlz idiots. Who the fuck gets paid all this money and doesn't know how to use Google?)...there's more, but I'll just leave it there.

Okay, no I won't: the soundtrack is awful, the game looks worse than the first (somehow), there are erratic framerate skips where the game, literally, skips 5-10 frames (very dangerous in the middle of a timed overtake, turn, brake, etc.), the cars sound nothing like what they should (having driven, owned, and have access to a large chunk of the roster I can verify the sounds are bullshit)...

So yeah, Ben was totally right. I'd have been a lot more harsh on the game. It's terrible.Last edited by ArnoldK PSXE on 4/3/2011 1:07:17 AM

I have to say your review for GT5 was too forgiving as the guy above has said. But in all honesty, GT5 doesn't deserve 9.9 I know it might be a bit biased here but Gt5 wasn't the greatest. It had features that were missing and much much more to improve on. I feel what you have to say to this game is a bit hypocritical.

Yeah, I wouldn't say GT5 is 9.9 either. Shift 2 is definetly crap, but GT isn't a 9.9...well too me it wasn't. The races were non-competitive. I spent more time tuning and perfecting lap times than actually racing in competitive races, but then again...GT5 isn't a race game from what everyone says. GT5 definitely feels and drives better, but the adrenaline rush produced in Shift 2 is unmatched. If Shift 2 could handle like GT5 while still being brutal...Shift 2 would have been a clear winner. In the end, GT5 is on one side and Shift 2 is on another. Both are missing feautures that the other one incorporates. A blend of both would be perfect.

The original un-patched GT5 got a far too easy ride. What would the current version get now that many of the issues that other reviewers commented on have been addressed and many the bugs have been ironed out...15 out of 10?

Fairly disappointing to see EA screwed this one up. As mentioned by Ben, and from what I have seen from all the media harvested from the game being played and demoed, it does look pretty.

What a shame it doesn't have the GT5 simulation engine... what a pity really.. I thought EA would have really wanted to try and challenge GT somewhat but it looks like the failed. Helmet cam looks good from what I have seen... I wonder if GT5 will ever add one in...

Speaking of GT5, anymore updates... I know there was one not so long ago, just wondering if the community know of anymore that may be on the way and what may be improved upon next.

Well, we are just waiting for the update that allows us to save in the middle of races such as a 24hr race. Other then that, no news. Btw, what's "Q!"play.experience.enjoy"" supposed to be? I've ALWAYS wondered, hope im about to find out. :)

why is it always the developers with the biggest mouths who end up turning out the biggest steaming piles?oh well, another to chuck onto the dont write checks with your mouth that your game cant cash pile!:(

Uh, Gt5 has nothing against it's competitors. It's missing a lot that other great racing games have. GT5 feels like a beta. It has to get updated constantly because in all honesty it feels like an incomplete game.

GT5 isn't the end of all racing games. If drives good and feels perfect, but the competitive edge is lost in the racing which makes this game getting boring after your done experimenting with different cars and car set ups. GT5 fans try to make this game seem awesome, which it is, but it isn't the best race car game ever as you do more tuning and beat lap times than actually participating in fast competitive races.

I don't understand what you mean by competitive FM23. Are you talking about aggressive A.I.s like in shift, or just a simple challenge? As much experience as I have in GT5, the game can be as tough as you want it to be. At the same time, it can also be as easy as you want it to be. People get mixed up between the two and think they're too good, or too bad at it.

I don't know when's the last time you played the game, but try the Lamborghini seasonal event while it lasts. Play fair, and just see how hard it can be to reach 1st place in time.

Also, I can't argue with you that much of the time spent on GT5 is tuning and perfecting laps, but I also race a whole BUNCH too. I don't know why you wouldn't want to try and beat the A.I. with you being the "underdog." Every GT enthusiasts gives it a try and the thrill of being able to win is satisfying enough. I'm not saying you don't, but it doesn't seem like you're challenging yourself on the races.

I am not a shift fan as I didn't enjoy the first one, but I can tell you that comparing the game with GT5 is not very smart. What is point if GT5 isn't even a complete game. I know the Japanese are looking for the best simulation game to drive as most of them are perfectionists, but they worked too much on the driving and priminum cars they forgot to work harder on everything else. I know a lot will be offended by that, but it's true. GT5 feels like an overdone game on graphics and the driving part that it lacks many other features. I totally agree with IGN's review for GT5. "A 10/10 racing sim wrapped in a 5/10 game.

The only reason why so many have gave gt5 a good review is because they are biased which is totally fine or they were really looking forward to gt5 and didn't look at what GT5 didn't have to what it did have.

If GT5 is going to reign top of the racing francise it's gotta do work, and very hard work.

- terrible online - car list is weak (due to the fact there is standard and repetitive cars of different versions that just made a different year.)- Bad physics (car crashes are not real, and the fustration of having to progess further to get car damage?)- missing car customization (a large factor)- bad AI

gt5 was called out on its uneven presentation, and recycling of so much of its content from gt4. it can look great at some points, and just average in others literally heatbroken to see the shadows, and screen tearing.

1 - The online in gt5 very good after the updates 2 - GT5 physics is bad = LOL3 - The AI is fine = fact.4 - Its a sim if I need to crash some cars I will play me some motorstorm.5 - GT5 strong point is the driving. plus the dynamicweather rocks. day and night transition also rocks. GT5 is very good. do not even try to downplay it friend.

It's suppose to be the ultimate racing sim? If it doesn't have good physics, it ain't a sim. But for the most part gt5 is an exception. I don't blame you for defending it, but the game lacks a lot of things.

And if you knew a bit about actual racing, maybe you'd know more about this subject. No offense, but it seems clear you're only focusing on what GT5 doesn't have...try this, instead: try telling me what racing game offers an equivalent, physically accurate driving simulation experience?Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/3/2011 7:55:01 PM

Terrible online? You can just about customize everything in a public or private lobby to the extent that it dwarfs other titles.

Weak car list? Here I thought that GT5 having more manufactures then any game meant something. Yes, there are duplicate cars, but I would rather have that then what Shift 2 offers.

The damage system is not as good as it should have been. Won't argue that. However, set the mechanical damage on heavy and take a spin around the Green Hell and come back and see me. One mistake your car won't be going anywhere. Plus, the damage you see at Level 1 is the same you'll come across at Level 40.

Minus the livery, the car customization on the premiums is quite detailed. You can even paint the wheels. That can't be done on Shift 2. Plus, name another sim in where you can put a carbon hood on and replace the glass?

GT5 isn't perfect, but it's driving and track representation nearly are. If anyone looks at PD's track record, you'll see that the first game on the new console is always the foundation. GT4 blew GT3 apart on every facet and GT6 will most likely do the same.

Topic related -- Shift 2 needs some support from the devs besides DLC within the first month, or it's gone.

sha4dowknight...you have to look at the big picture. have you tried shift 2. It feels like utter crap. GT5 feels good. GT5 offers alot more than any other racing game I have ever played. Why get so bent out of shape about damage. Last time I checked, you shouldn't be crashing at all unless you love coming in last place...lol Seriously, GT5 doesn't feel half baked. After playing Shift 2, GT5 never felt so good. It's driving heaven compared to Shift 2.

It seems that there are a lot who defend gt5. I don't blame you but for the the game lacked a lot of core things that other competitors have. Let me elaborate:

ONLINE:

Terrible I should of defined myself a bit more. Sure you get lobbies but compared to what forza 3 Gt5 doesn't stand a chance. IN forza there is just so much more. Enough said.

A game that offers the same drving and physics:

You can't no games are the same but if one was close enough forza 3. gt5 drving is 9.5 forza 3 is 9 not bad. for .5 less you surely get a hell lot more to do.

Physics is a joke for the crashing part.

THe driving is unparalled, but in real life everything is physics, so 1 out of 2 is only 50% so only half of the physics is there. Crashing is nothing special in this game. Motorstorm had better physics. Car damage is weak unless it's priminum. Now you may ask why do we want to trash our cars around in a game?

1. It's fun since there's no insurance to pay,plus for a game that claims to be the ultimate driving simulator, no real crashes don't cut it.

2. Adds realism to the game.

3. If dirt grid and forza have it why hasn't Polyphony included it yet? SUre the other 3 don't have realistic but it's definatly enough to satisfy.

Car customization is my biggest one:

Why has that not been implantmented in yet? I mean tyou can change wheels add a spoiler but nothing too deep. Liveries are nice but I want to be able to make my own graphics. Oh and changing a carbon fiber hood that's been done a long time ago in a game called NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND. Mirror or windows aren't a big thing to brag about.

It just seems that I may look at what it's missing but in reality, it's missing a lot of things that other have which is why I am quite dissipointed about this. Sure the driving is nice but it doesn't make up for what it lacks in. I hope GT6 will expand on that GT5 fails at.

I respect all of the arguements brought upon the posts.

Also instead of doing the standard without the dashboard they could of just had detail simular to prolouge. No need to go far with it as long as it's go a dashbaord.

It clear why you are dissappointed. Trust me, I feel your pain and feel the same in many ways about everything you just said, but you seem to care too much about 'pimping your ride' so you can crash it to show of the physics and damage model. Grid or Dirt 2 feature no type of car customization at all. Never played Forza so I can't speak on that. GT5 lacks competitve racing. If PD could create Dirt 2 type A.I., GT5 would be a 9 or above for me. For now, its a solid 8.5.

FM you are correct i agree with you. I guess you could put it that way pimping my ride and crashing it LOLZ. But it's nice to have better physics and the ability to customize your car. That's the 2 things I want from the GT5 oh and more priminum cars and no more standard cars without dashboard.

Online:The only thing Forza 3 offers over GT5 is matchmaking. As I stated above, GT5's online suite with the feature list it has puts other games to shame. You can find the random drivers in lobbies as easy as you can via matchmaking.

Damage:GT5's damage is weak, and I already said I agree with that. However, Forza 3's is terrible. I have never seen a car get smashed in the corner and end up with scratches on the hood. Grid and Dirt are arcade drivers, and do not even belong in a conversation that pertains to simulators.

Customization:I said sim racers. Not the arcade style Need For Speed games. Big difference between the two, and you should be able to separate them. You can attempt to discredit the carbon hoods, glass replacement and painting wheels all you like, but it doesn't change the fact that it offers things that others don't.

Forza drives OK for those who don't mind a permanent auto steer. I for one could never get past that or the broken car class system.

Man, I loved the videos and some short previews of features but once I saw the game play it was a no go for me. This game looked horrible, the car was all over the place. And after reading this I know im never going to pick it up.

$60 for a game these days is just almost ridicules, but it is what makes me hesitate from buying even KZ3(GT5:CE was pre-ordered) but GT5 was the last game I bought, im not sure when my next purchase will be but only PS3 exclusive get close to that price and should be at most $50. most games are not worth 40 bucks new.

It's really sad when you make a racing game and you can't get the most important aspect of the game down, but its just like Madden with tackling. I seek for perfection and realism that's why love Kaz so much and is the reason I own a PlayStation 3. :)

I am not buying another NFS game until they make another Underground game but even then I will be hesitant after the last few installments.

I'm sorry for all you people who flushed there 60 bucks down a toilet. I guess it's a good thing when money is to tight like this for me, i don't go out buying stuff wasting money then regret it. :p

Did the IGN compare Shift 2 to GT5 head to head in their review?.. or did seem like that because developers of Shift 2 was basically calling out GT5 before it came out, and they were just pointing it out? Whatever the case, I hear the word "floaty" pretty much everywhere. If they want to compare GT5 the real way, then they should do it by the driving physics. If that can't compare, then it shouldn't be compared period.

I know I could just go there and read it, but after reading GT5's review, I'm not gonna bother reading any more sim-racing reviews from them. I took a glimpse at it and saw that it was only one page. With fonts as big as they are, I expected at least a second page.

Yeah, IGN is a mess when it comes to reviews. Shift isn't a 6.9, but it definitely isn't a 8.5 either. I'd give a a solid 7 -7.5. And yes, Daus...the game is floaty, the handling is so weird and the tracks are just innaccurate.

Thank you for your review, Ben. I will rent this one first instead of buying it. I hate racing games with frustrating AI where the cars bump you off the road and car physics that are loose and squirrely. I don't know why they didn't just build on the superb Need For Speed: Shift, which I loved on the Xbox 360.

Ben, may I ask how the drifting was? Please. I heard that it was specifically built around the controller and if you try drifting with the wheel, it's a horrible experience. Every preview I see, people are playing (drifting) with the controller.

I also forgot to ask. Did they use a different physic engine for the drifting like in Shift 1 or is it by turning off all the aids (which is how it should be of course).Last edited by daus26 on 4/4/2011 12:14:42 AM

That's just horrible. Thanks for letting me know guys. I was honestly looking forward to this game. They had professional drivers and drifters giving them feedback and everything. I guess I can conclude that the use of "celebrities" is more of a marketing gimmick in most, if not, all situations.

the gt series managed to score highly with reviewers and gamers alike until its latest installment so i don't buy the argument that all of the sudden they were not qualified to review it. ign gave gt4 a 95, after all.

gt5's scores were down across the board with a lot of places that loved gt4 not liking it nearly as much.

I personally think they're not qualified because they take arcade racers' "flashes" and "effects" and incorporated to their review of GT5. In turn, it made the review seem to focus on what GT5 doesn't have, rather than have. They talk about "bland" tracks and "unimpressive" crashes... things that arcade racers excel well at, or rather I say should. Surprisingly the major flaw of GT5, I couldn't find in any review, and that was the amount of offline events, and imbalance XP system (which is fixed now). I'm not that surprised though, because to notice that, you have to play the game a bit further.

Before GT5 came out, I knew that it was gonna get knocked big because of that "uneven" presentation you're talking about, specifically the standard cars dilemma. Unfortunately, most of them viewed the standard cars as negative. THANKFULLY, Arnold in his review had the same view as me and looked at them as a positive, or bonus. Not that I was surprised Arnold thought it that way, but I would've definitely been disappointed if it was the other case. I think it's ridiculous that some people out there think that they rather have just the 200+ premiums and take out the standards, just because they may look bad to them. I take it as an extra 800 cars to drive. We already have 200 highly-detailed ones if you want to spend your time pausing in replays and zooming to the cars.

To be fair, as unpolished as you think the game was, they are at least aware of it and doing the best they can to fix it. It's not like they're just selling you the copy and leave it at that. If PD were allowed more time, they would certainly have taken it and delayed the game. In my opinion there was too much pressure from Sony and the fans to release the game when it did, perhaps because of the holidays or the fact that another delay would gain too much mistrust from everyone. Not many games/developers have to face that. We have to remember that they're actually a small development team and doesn't have as much resources as most Triple AAA developers.

Excellent post daus26. I read in an interview that Kaz did not want to release GT5 until around 2012. Sometimes, I wish they would have done just that for it might have taught the gamers with a microwave mentality a thing or two about patience.

I really could care less what date a game comes out. But with time and money on the ball I guess they tried to make ammends. That game could of came out in 2013 and if they improved on what I wanted I would be a happy camper.

I seriously hope that SMS will patch this game asap. I foolishly bought this game first day, thinking if it's even a cunt hair better than the first Shift, I'll love it. This game is broken. ...Back to playing Modnation Racers.

i've often wondered if their team size affected it's developement. they used to be one of the most talented developers on sony's sytems. all i know is about 80% of the time i counldn't enjoy my favorite cars becuase they were not fully customizable. i could've cared less about damage, but pd decided to put it in there, and it was just awful. i saw cars magically transform into melted plastic or playdough right before my eyes. wtf was that about?

any game would get called out on an uneven, or graphically inconsistent package. that was their biggest mistake. i almost feel sorry for them if they thought that was going to fly. especially, in a game known for perfection. i loved the past gt games, though. hopefully they can get some people in there that know how to code for the ps3 without all the hithches like screen tearing, and 8 bit shadows. then, if they decide to implement a feature make sure it's just as good as the rest of the game. i would've patiently waited until 2012 rather than see one of my favorite series reputation permently damaged.

Why is the crash modeling so important to people. I would love to have a Shift 2 or Grid type crash model in GT5, but really...who cares. But it does detract from the core driving experience as bumps to bump back. I feel your pain, but getting mad because your car doesn't show damage is pretty ridiculous. Not calling you out, just saying. I don't thikn GT5 is perfect at all, but these complaints you and sha4dwoknight have are pretty out there.

HAHAHAHAH way to use my name. I'm settling down no need to complain anymore once everyone is done arguing in the end, I like my PS3 and will always choose it over the Xbox 360. I know forza 3 has lot's to offer but the ps3 makes up for all the other quality games it has if GT5 didn't meet my standards, uncharted will always same with resistance. What has been done by polyphony has been done. We'll have to enjoy ever ounce we get from Gt5 it has goods and bads but it's still Gran Turismo and one thing for sure they didn't leave out was the GT spirit of driving.

Excelsior1 - If you have played GT5 recently, you'll notice the screen tearing is nearly gone. I also believe the shadow issues are a direct result of the 3D technology.

FM23 - I agree. Damage is neat to look at, but truth be told, I rarely, if ever crash when racing. I try to be very careful. As I stated above, if anyone is looking for racing with consequences, go online, and set mechanical damage, tire wear and penalties on full/sim and your mind will be changed to how serious GT5 actually is.

sha4dowknight05 -I never took your posts as complaining. I just took them as someone posting from an arcade racer's perspective. One that is more concerned with placing stickers and neon lights on there car as compared to how meticulously rendered the Green Hell is.Last edited by maxpontiac on 4/5/2011 11:16:11 AM